By Your Side
by coolsuplexbro
Summary: Vince doesn't think Brad is fit enough to run Raw alone, so he assigns him an assistant. Maddox isn't pleased with the idea, but he knows there's nothing he can do about it. What happens when he starts to fall for her? Will he be able to put his job before his feelings? Brad/OC.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: The story will mostly be based off of what is happening currently in the company. We've all seen how Brad Maddox is constantly being pestered about doing his job, so what better way to help him out then to give him a super cute assistant! Along the way there will be many obstacles for them to overcome including betrayal, heartbreak, and surprises. Hell, no one ever said that being the General Manager of RAW would be easy!_

_I have a lot planned ahead for this, so feel free to follow this so you can keep up. The intro may seem a little short, but the next chapter will be filled with great things. Reviews are definitely appreciated along the way!_

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Brad Maddox nervously adjusted his tie as he sat stood outside of Vince's office. Earlier he had been in the middle of going over the matches for tonight's show, but then he received a call to come down here. Apparently, there was something serious that needed to be discussed. Great, he's only been GM for not even two weeks and he's already screwed up. Fantastic. He took a deep breath before knocking and pushing open the door.

"Maddox." That was Vince's way of greeting him. Brad nodded and gave him a smile. "There was something you wanted to discuss with me, sir?" He asked politely.

"Yes, please take a seat." Mr. McMahon said as he gestured to the two chairs in front of his desk. It was then that Brad noticed that one of them was already being occupied by a cute, brunette girl that he had never seen before. She caught him looking and quickly glanced away. He shrugged and sat down next to her, then turned to look at his boss. Vince was all but glaring at him which made him very nervous and confused.

"Uh, did I do something wrong, sir?" He asked, wondering just what was going on. Mr. McMahon sighed and shook his head. "No, not yet." Maddox winced at that. It was quite obvious that Vince didn't have much faith in him. "-but you are not at all completely qualified for the job, so I have no doubt that you will manage to mess up soon and I do not want to see that happen." Vince said in a stern tone. Brad opened his mouth to reply, but he was quickly cut off.

"I've decided to assign you an assistant to help make sure that doesn't happen." Mr. McMahon stated, now giving the girl a smile. Maddox literally felt his jaw drop as he turned to look at her. She avoided his gaze again. "Look, sir, I know you don't believe in me, but I haven't screwed up yet, right? It's only been a week, you haven't even seen what I can do! Trust me, I do not need an assistant." He replied, feeling that this whole situation was a bit outrageous. He doesn't need anyone's help!

"Calm down, Maddox. She's just going to guide you and give you help when you need it; and trust me, you will need it." Vince stated, clearly annoyed with his response. He leaned back in his chair and continued to glare down at Brad with a pointed look. Vince was definitely not going to budge on this one.

"-but, sir-" Brad tried to interject, but Vince was not having any of it. "She is going to assist you whether you like it or not, Maddox. No amount of begging or pleading will persuade me otherwise." Mr. McMahon shook his head and sighed. "Look, Patricia is a lovely girl. I'm sure that once you two begin working together and when running Raw will become too difficult to handle, you'll be thankful that I'm doing this for you. Now, leave."

Brad knew that this decision was final and that he'd just have to learn to live with it. So he stood up, straightened his tie, nodded towards Vince, and left the room without another word. Once in the hallway, he stopped for a moment to contemplate what just happened. What if Vince was right? What if the pressure and stress from running the show took over and caused him to mess up? Now feeling worried, he started to consider the thought of having an assistant. Maybe it wouldn't be too bad... at least he wouldn't have to go through this alone...

Instantly, he began to feel bad for how he reacted in there. It wasn't her fault that Vince had put her up for this, right? Honestly, he wouldn't mind the extra help. It was just frustrating and upsetting to know that his own boss didn't trust him to do a good job. Brad knew he'd have to apologize for his actions though. He turned around, prepared to enter the room again so he could talk to her, but suddenly he had bumped into someone.

"Oh, sorry..." said a small voice. Maddox glanced down and saw his new assistant peeking up at him through her black framed glasses. He noticed a slight blush to her cheeks. Stepping aside quickly, he gave her a sheepish smile. "Uhh, no. That was my fault. I apologize." He replied, watching as she exited the room, keeping her gaze down towards her shoes. Suddenly, the sound of someone's throat being cleared caused them both to look up. Vince was standing in the doorway of his office, giving them both a strange look. "Get to work." was all he said before shutting the door.

"Right..." Maddox found himself saying. He jumped in surprise once he felt someone tapping on his shoulder. Brad quickly spun around and was met with none other than CM Punk. "Hey, how much time is my promo supposed to last for tonight? I've got a lot that I want to say, but I don't want to go over time or anything." Punk asked as he crossed his arms. Brad mentally face palmed himself, remembering that he hadn't thought that out yet. "Uhh, well.." He stuttered out, feeling nervous as Punk looked at him weirdly. "You should have about ten minutes. Would that be enough time for you?" Patricia piped in as she glanced up from her clipboard she was holding. Maddox hadn't realized that she had it. "Yeah, perfect. That'll work, thanks!" Punk replied, tapping Brad on the shoulder, before he turned and walked away.

The RAW GM stood there, puzzled, staring at his assistant. "You know what, Patrica? I like you already." Brad said with a smile, relieved that she had managed to save him within the heat of the moment. The girl laughed and rolled her eyes. "You were almost dead there for a minute." She teased before pushing her glasses back up the bridge of her nose. Brad wiped the non-existent sweat of his forehead. "Phew, yeah, I was almost a goner!" He joked, then went back to his serious state. "Wait, how did you come up with that on the spot?" Maddox was curious as to how she was able to do that. "Oh, I didn't come up with it. It says so right here on the schedule, see?" She said, regaining her professional behavior. "Schedule... what?" Brad grabbed the clipboard and looked it over. Everything that was supposed to happen tonight was already planned out, although he hadn't even figured that out for himself yet. "How?" was all he could ask.

Patricia took the board back from him then tucked it under her arm. "When Vince had called me up and told me what my new job was going to be, I got to work immediately. I've already seen how the McMahons love to be on your case about planning things, so figuring you were under stress, I took the liberty of planning out this RAW by myself." Brad nodded in response. He was impressed with how hard-working and serious she already was about this whole ordeal. Maybe it would be a good thing for them to be working together. She surely seemed easy to get along with. "Well, thank you, for that... you really took some of the pressure of my shoulders." Patricia tilted her head a bit and smiled at his comment. "-but, I'm the General Manager of RAW, shouldn't the decisions about the show be up to me?" Maddox said in a kind tone, not trying to come off as snobby. Patricia seemed taken aback by his question and her shyness began to take over. "Oh, yes. Of course... my apologies... you can change things if you want. I was just trying to help..."

Brad could see that she took it the wrong way. "That was rude to say, my bad... You really did help me out, I appreciate that. I'd love to talk the show over though, because I did have a few matches in mind for tonight." He tried again, offering a friendly smile. Patricia looked pleased by this as she brushed her bangs away from her eyes. "That'd be great. Should we head to your office, then?" She asked. Maddox nodded, glad that she was able to bounce back from that. "Yeah, it's this way. Come on..." He said as he gently slung his arm around her shoulder, leading the way down the hall.

Maybe having Patricia by his side wouldn't be such a bad thing after all...


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: thanks for the reviews! they really inspire me to write more. I hope you all like this chapter, I made it a little bit longer. :)_

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Brad Maddox smiled as he passed people by on his journey down the hallway. Monday Night RAW had gone extremely well for him last week thanks to his new assistant. They went over all the matches and found out what would work best and everything turned out fine. It was a bit surprising considering he didn't want to have an assistant in the first place. Things were going great, but he was still skeptic about working with Patricia. Although she was helping him a lot, it still bothered him that Vince didn't trust him to work the show alone. Still, there wasn't much he could do about that now.

He rounded the corner of the arena quickly and accidentally bumped into someone. This was becoming quite a problem lately. "I'm sorry- Vickie?" Of course, it had to be **_her_**. Instantly, Brad took a few steps back so he could be out of her range. There was no telling if she was going to go crazy on him or not. She scoffed in response. "Watch where you're going!" Vickie yelled as she brushed imaginary dust off of her dress. "I'm sorry, I really am." He said, hoping to calm her down. She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Hmph." Maddox sighed and shook his head.

"Anyways, how's the new job working out for you, since you're the new General Manager of Smackdown?" Brad couldn't help but sound envious as he said that. He had really wanted the job for himself. Maybe Vickie would lay off his case though since she was back in a leadership position. "You say that like you're expecting me to have a tough time. I'm doing just fine without you! I'd say Smackdown is in a much better condition now thanks to me. I can't say the same for RAW however..." was her remark. Brad immediately stiffened once he heard that. Okay, so she wasn't over being fired yet... He was incredibly peeved at her comment about his job. RAW was going great because of him. She was clearly still jealous about the whole ordeal. "I wasn't saying that, but it's nice to hear that things are going well for you." He replied through gritted teeth.

Vickie brushed off his comment and continued on as like he had said nothing. "To be honest, it really doesn't matter how well things are going for me over at Smackdown. Once you mess up, the McMahons will come crawling back to me, re-naming me as the General Manager of RAW again. So, don't get so comfortable with your new job, Brad." She sneered. Maddox gave a little laugh in response, trying not to get too worked up over what she said. It really struck a chord with him though. First Vince didn't have faith in him and now neither does Vickie. When will people realize that he's going to be a great General Manager? He is **_not _**going to screw things up.

"Listen here, Vickie... I-"

"Is everything going alright over here?" Brad halted mid-sentence to glance over at his assistant. "Oh. Hey, Patricia." He said, silently thanking her for stopping him. He was just about to say a few things that would no doubt get him in trouble... or worse. Putting on a smile, Maddox placed his hand on her shoulder. Vickie glared at them both.

Patricia beamed back at him and fixed her glasses. Brad couldn't help but think that she looked very pretty today. She had her brunette locks up in a tight ponytail. Her glasses matched her black skirt and heels although her shirt was a deep maroon. He was soon brought out of his little trance by the sound of Vickie's voice.

"Excuse me? Who are you?" she asked, not even bothering to hide her snobby tone. Patricia slowly turned to look at her. "I don't think we've formally met before. I'm Patricia, Brad Maddox's assistant." Brad watched as her smile didn't falter when she stuck her hand out to greet Vickie. However, the only thing she received in return was a smirk. "Really? How cute. Let me guess, this was Vince's idea, right?" Vickie laughed. "He must not have a lot of trust in you if he won't even let you run the show by yourself." Maddox shifted as he felt himself becoming slightly irritated. He watched as Patricia awkwardly pulled her hand away and brushed her bangs out of her face. Brad glared back at Vickie. He was about to reply, but she wouldn't let him.

"What does she even do for you? Bring you coffee and fix your ugly ties?" She snorted at her little joke. Patricia gasped. "Actually, I help him go over matches and promos for the show. I even write out a schedule for him. See?" She held out the clipboard in front of Vickie's face and flipped through a few pages. It was shoved back at her so she tucked it underneath her arm. "So, what do **_you _**do to prepare for Smackdown? Do you scribble down your ideas on the back of a napkin or do you screech at someone until they do it for you?"

"Okay, okay. Let's all just calm down." Brad was quick to interrupt. Things were getting just a little too heated for him and he did not want to attract any attention from this. "Patricia, why don't you give us a minute, okay? I'll meet you in my office." He suggested. She gave him a small smile before abruptly turning around and heading down the corridor.

"Well, she sure is nice." Vickie said once Patricia was out of sight. "Back off, Vickie." Brad warned, not liking how she was treating his assistant. She huffed in response and shook her head. "She does seem a bit controlling though. I would watch out if I were you." He tilted his head and gave her a confused look. "Pardon?"

"Oh, it's nothing. It's just that, well, she writes out the whole schedule for you, Brad. It looks like she's calling all the shots. Are you sure she's not the real General Manager of RAW?" Vickie smiled at her question.

"Actually, she plans things out and I go over everything and change it, if necessary. So all the final decisions are mine." Maddox retorted. Although he was so sure of his answer, her question did spike up some worry in him. Patricia did seem to come up with most of the ideas...

"Oh, of course. My mistake." She replied. "I wonder what Vince would think about that though. If he knew that you gave her so much leeway into creating the show. She is only an assistant after all. Maybe he'll realize the ideas are hers and he'll make her the GM instead..."

Brad chuckled. "That wouldn't happen. He knows as well as Patricia does that everything that happens on the show is decided by me. She only provides her opinion and writes it up. Just give me a few weeks and I'll show the both of you what I really can do." He crossed his arms and eyed her seriously. Her comments were really starting to get to him.

"Fine, fine. Whatever. Just enjoy the fun while it lasts, Brad." Vickie gave him an evil smile before she turned and left him alone. For a minute, he just stood there and took all of that in. He already had enough doubts about himself before, but after that conversation he definitely has tons more to deal with now. With a sigh, he made his way towards his office.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Soon enough, Brad Maddox was sitting on the leather couch while Patricia sat by his side. They were going over the schedule for tonight's events. He had the clipboard in hand, looking over each and every little note. His conversation with Vickie earlier had provoked something inside of him. Unlike last time where he went along with most of Patricia's suggestions, this time he was almost against every one of them. "Can I have a pen? I need to change a few things." He asked and held out his hand. Watching as she pulled a pen from seemingly out of nowhere, he kept replaying what Vickie had said in his mind. Once he received the pen, he quickly went through and crossed some things out and replaced them with his own ideas. Brad handed her the newly fixed schedule when he finished and leaned back onto the couch.

"You changed quite a lot..." Patricia pointed out. He side-eyed her and shrugged. "So?" She gave him a weak smile. "It's just that, I had the company's best interests in mind when I wrote these out so-"

"Stop." Maddox held out his hand and she became quiet. A confused look crossed her face. "I'm the General Manager, okay? I _**also **_have the company's best interests in mind as well as my own. Now, if you would be so kind as to tell the roster about the little changes, that would be great." The words seemed to spill out of his mouth before he had time to think. Brad watched as Patricia nodded and stood up. She waited for a moment, continuing to give him a strange look.

Without hesitation he added, "Oh, and bring me a coffee, please." She looked stunned at this. "Uh, sure. What would you like?" Brad tapped his chin in thought. "Surprise me." Patricia left the room quickly and Maddox felt a little ashamed of himself. What he said was very rude. Yet, he knew he had to show her who was boss somehow. He was really starting to take Vickie's comments to heart and that was beginning to show. This was not a good thing.

Minutes ticked on as he continued to think about his actions. Suddenly, the door to his office burst open. He was expecting Patricia, but saw Vince McMahon there instead. "Mr. McMahon. It's so nice to see you here." He offered a handshake and was met with a cold glare. The scene reminded him of Patricia and Vickie. "So, where is your new assistant?" Vince asked as he glanced around the room. Brad smiled and placed his hands behind his back. "She went out to remind the guys about their matches tonight. She should be back here soon." As if right on cue, a light knock was heard on the door. Maddox called out and granted the person access to his room.

Patricia came in juggling the coffee while holding the schedule in her other hand. She had a surprised look on her face once she saw Vince. Dropping her gaze, she handed Brad his coffee and shut the door. Maddox noticed the look that Mr. McMahon gave him upon receiving his drink. Laughing nervously, he turned back to Patricia. "Thanks for the coffee. Why didn't you get yourself some?" He asked politely. She glanced between Vince and Brad. "Well, I wouldn't be able to hold both the cups and the schedule..." came her quiet reply. Mr. McMahon cocked his head at Maddox.

"Sorry about that. I'll get my own coffee next time." Brad looked at Vince. "So, sir. What brings you here?" Mr. McMahon shook his head before replying. "I just wanted to check in on you two to see how things were going."

"Things are going great, sir. I-"

"May I see the schedule for tonight?" Vince asked Patricia, obviously ignoring Brad. She handed him the schedule with a smile. He looked it over, eyebrows knitting together as he continued on. "Why are most of the matches crossed out?" He asked, turning his attention towards Brad.

"We decided to change a few things, that's all."

"Oh." Vince handed her back the clipboard and gave Maddox an incredulous look. "Why? The crossed out matches looked pretty good." Brad scratched his head, trying to think of an appropriate answer.

"We came up with other matches that would work better, sir. You'll be impressed tonight. Don't worry." Patricia said in a sweet tone. Vince smiled and nodded at her, then patted Brad on the back.

"We'll see about that. Good luck tonight." Mr. McMahon said before exiting the office. For the second time since they met, Brad found himself silently thanking Patricia for being quick on the spot. The room was quiet for a few minutes. He eagerly took a large sip of his coffee, but coughed immediately afterwards.

"I'm sorry, is that too strong for you?" She asked, an innocent look danced in her eyes. "No, no. Not at all. Actually, this is how I prefer my coffee." He smiled back and took a much smaller sip this time. In all honesty, he thought it was terrible. She served him an all black coffee. No sugar or creamer added. It was like she hadn't even tried. He grimaced at the nasty taste. "If it's alright with you, I'd like to go get a cup for myself." Patricia asked, sounding awfully sweet. For some reason, Brad was skeptical of her. "Yeah, that's fine." He said as he waved her off.

It seems like his coffee's not the only thing that's bitter...


	3. Chapter 3

Brad Maddox walked briskly down the hallways, glancing around every which way. He ran his hand through his hair and sighed. Nervously, the general manager began to chew on his lip. He could not find his assistant anywhere! Monday Night Raw was going to start in a few hours and he wanted to go over the matches again, to make sure everything was perfect. Brad had texted Patricia, asked around, and now he was on the hunt himself. Upon running around, numerous superstars bumped into him and pestered him about what they were supposed to do tonight. Of course trying to find Patricia had made him become scatter-brained, so he couldn't give them an appropriate answer. Most of the time he just muttered something and moved on. His job was truly hectic without her.

Brad decided that maybe a drink would help him calm his nerves. It didn't take long for him to reach the catering room. He halted as soon as he walked in. Oddly enough, it turned out that Patricia was here too. She was sitting at one of the tables with her phone in her hand, chatting with one of the divas. Maddox shook his head and rolled his eyes. She has probably been here the whole time! Since she had her cell on her, it meant she was probably ignoring his texts. Why in the world would she do that? He brushed off his suit and adjusted his tie before he approached them.

"Ehem..." Brad cleared his throat, trying to get her attention. Kaitlyn glanced up at him, but Patricia just pressed her lips together and avoided his gaze.

"Is there something that you need, Maddox?" Kaitlyn said in an annoyed tone, obviously not happy with him interrupting their conversation. Brad gave her a forced smile then turned to look at his assistant.

"I just need to speak to Patricia for a moment." He replied. Kaitlyn glared at him while Patricia sighed and finally met his eyes.

"Why? Would you like another coffee? Or is it your tie that needs fixing?" She snapped and adjusted her glasses. Maddox winced at that. He didn't understand why she was so peeved.

"What's your problem?" Brad asked, voicing his confusion. Kaitlyn continued to give him daggers.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe the fact that you treated me terribly last week." Patricia gave him a sarcastic smile.

Brad thought back on what had happened. He didn't think he did anything _that_ bad. What on earth was she talking about? Patricia must have saw his confused look because she didn't wait for his response.

"After Vickie was being incredibly rude to me and making jokes, you just went along with it! You made me get your coffee! I'm here to help you plan RAW, not to do things you're too lazy to do yourself." She huffed and faced Kaitlyn again. The diva merely rolled her eyes at him.

Brad stood there in shock. At first Patricia seemed so shy and quiet so this was unexpected. Who knew the girl could be so sassy? He sat there for a moment, trying to think of a reply. It's true, what he did was wrong and he knew that. Still, he didn't expect her to react like this because of it. It was a one time thing. Vickie's words had stirred him up, that's all. Brad soon felt guilty and gave her an apologetic look.

"Patricia, I'm sorry, okay? I know what I did was wrong. I just got a little in over my head because of this job. I promise I won't do that again." He pleaded. Kaitlyn scoffed, but he ignored her. This wasn't her business. Brad knew he had to make things right with Patricia because even though it hasn't been long, he was so lost without her. He had no idea what to say to the superstars and divas when they asked him questions. Without her and her schedule, he was doomed to fail. It's strange to know how much he relies on her even though they've only been working together for three weeks. He had to admit it, Vince was right; this job was really difficult. How he ever thought he could do this alone, he had no idea. The point is, Brad needed her. If he had to beg after making such a huge mistake, then he'd do it.

"Please?" He tried again. Patricia looked at him thoughtfully. Her earlier angry expression had been traded for a much calmer one. This was a good sign. Maybe she'd forgive him.

"Oh, come on! You're really going to accept that garbage? He treated you like crap!" Brad knew it was only a matter of time before Kaitlyn spoke up. He gave her a hurt look, then turned his focus back on Patricia. She still looked deep in thought. Maddox was about to get down on his knees and beg, but thankfully she kept him from doing so.

"Fine. I'll let your big ego slide... this time! However, you have to make me a coffee and meet me back in your office. Deal?" She looked at him with expectant eyes. Grinning, Brad put his hands on his hips and shook his head lightly. She knew she had hooked him. There was no way he could say no to that.

"Are you seriously going to let him get away with it?" Kaitlyn was in disbelief. Patricia gave her a smile. "Thanks for your concern, but I have everything under control. By the way, you might want to go get ready for tonight. You will be having a match." The diva eyed her carefully at first, but shrugged and nodded. The two waited in silence until she had left.

"So... how do you want your coffee?" Maddox knew he had to ask. If he's going to kiss up, he has to do it properly. Patricia was already heading for the door before he had spoken. She glanced over her shoulder and gave him a smirk.

"Surprise me!"

**. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .**

A little while later, Brad was walking back to his office carrying two cups of coffee. He kicked the door lightly a few times, then stood back to wait. Patricia opened the door and eagerly took her cup. "Thanks..." She said and pulled her hair back behind her ear. He gave her a smile in return and stepped into the room. They both took a seat on the leather couch and like always, Patricia took out her clipboard.

"What do we have planned for tonight?" The GM asked as he took a sip of his coffee. She simply handed him the papers in return. After a few minutes of looking them over, he gave them back.

"So, I have a backstage segment with Vickie? Yay..." Brad said sarcastically. Patricia gave him a sympathetic look.

"There, there... it'll all be okay. It will only last for a minute or so." She replied and tapped him on the shoulder. Maddox chuckled at that.

"You know, when you're not busy being all professional and whatnot, you're actually really funny." He couldn't resist the compliment. She did have a lovely sense of humor.

Patricia blushed at his comment and looked away, showing her shy side again.

"You're so cute when you blush..." Brad said quietly. Suddenly, his eyes went wide at the realization of what he just said. He bit his lip and was afraid of what her reaction would be. Damn him for thinking out loud!

"Oh, uh... thanks..." Patricia replied and kept avoiding his eyes.

She was super cute though... Whenever she blushed, her cheeks would turn pink and her eyes would sparkle... Oh, no. This was bad. She was his assistant! His co-worker! He can't think of her like this!

"I'm sorry about that. I just... well..." He stuttered out, not really sure of how to make it okay. Patricia just smiled and waved it off. "It's okay, really... How about we just go over the matches some more?" Brad was happy that she didn't make things awkward. He could tell that she was trying to change the subject. "Yeah, let me see the clipboard again."

**. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .**

Hours passed and the duo soon found themselves waiting backstage with the camera crew. They were about to go on air soon and Vickie has yet to show up. Brad was a little nervous, as he always was before going live, so Patricia was trying to calm him down.

"Everything will be fine. Just take a deep breath an-"

"Excuse me! What is _SHE_ doing back here?" Vickie all but yelled as she took her place next to Brad. Patricia narrowed her eyes at Vickie, but managed to smile.

"She's here for support." Maddox replied and tried not to come off as annoyed. Vickie laughed obnoxiously.

"Support? I thought she was just here to hold your coffee!" The Smackdown GM sneered at them. Brad noticed Patricia glance down and saw her smile drop.

"You know what, Vickie? Just stop. You're not even funny, you are just being immature. I will not have you talk down to her like that." He said sternly, all playfulness was lost from his voice. Patricia looked back up at him and grinned, tucking a stray brunette lock behind her ear. He could pick out a faint blush making it's way to her cheeks, which made him smile. He loved it when she did that. _Wait, no. This is supposed to be professional. Get it together, Brad!_ He scolded himself. Vickie scoffed in response and was about to reply, but was cut off by the crew.

"We go live in ten, guys! Get ready!"

Everyone got into their positions. Brad was standing directly in front of the camera with his cellphone in hand. Patricia stood off to the side, careful not to be seen. The WWE Universe wasn't supposed to know who she was, so she had to keep hidden. Vickie was just out of view, prepared to enter the scene.

"3... 2... 1... Annnnd..." The camera man whispered before pointing at them and nodding, signaling for them to start.

Brad pretended to talk on his phone. He was apparently having a conversation with his mother. Suddenly, Vickie came stomping into view. He sighed and hung up, then looked at her.

"May I help you, Vickie?" Maddox asked kindly. Vickie only crossed her arms and gave him a forced smile.

"I'm fine. I just wanted to check in on how you're handling the new job. I bet it's such hard work." She said and chuckled lightly. Brad tilted his head and clasped his hands together.

"Actually, everything is going great so far! I haven't run into any problems yet. Thanks for your concern though. How's everything going over at Smackdown?" He turned the question back on her. Vickie's smile dropped instantly and she glared coldly at him.

"Smackdown is fine. I'd much rather talk about how you're doing though. I mean, RAW is doing considerably well with you in charge. Are you sure there's not someone backstage that's pulling the strings?" Vickie asked with a smug grin. Brad had to pause for a moment. That part wasn't in the script. He knew he had to go along with it though because this was airing live.

"Uhh, no. Not at all. Why would you ask that?" Okay, so that wasn't the best response, but at least it shifted the attention back to her. Maddox tried his best to remain calm.

"Well, it's just that being the General Manager of Monday Night RAW is a very difficult job to deal with. No offense, but you hardly seem like the kind of guy who could keep the show running. I just think that you'd be more suitable for a position like... an assistant? You should be running around getting coffees, not directing other people." Brad knew that was a jab at Patricia. He could see her glaring from the corner of his eye. This wasn't good.

"I know I'm probably not the best guy for the job, but I think I'm doing pretty good so far-"

"Speaking of assistants, why don't you have one, Brad? You're in one of the top positions of the company right now, don't you think you deserve someone who'd shine your shoes and fix your ties?" That crossed the line.

"Listen here, Vicke. That's not what being an assistant is about. They are supposed to help you when you're in trouble. I'm man enough to take care of myself, I don't need anyone to do those things for me." He had tried to keep his temper under control, but that was the last straw. It was obvious that Vickie was using this segment to get back at Patricia and he was not okay with that.

"Okay, I get it. What good would an assistant be to you anyways? They'd just get in the way and hold you back. They'd probably be useless an-"

"That's it. I've had enough!" They both looked at Patricia in shock. She stormed onto the little set and had her finger directly in Vickie's face. "I'm sick of you always talking down about me! Yes, I may be an assistant, but I do a hell of a lot more than you think. I help Brad set up matches, I go around and speak to the superstars,**_ I do my job_**. I just wish I could say the same for you. Instead of worrying about your own show, you decide to come over here complaining and screeching about what we're doing wrong. Maybe you should mind your own business!" Patricia stood there fuming. Brad's jaw was down to the floor in surprise. He had no idea what to do now. Nobody was supposed to know that she was helping him out. Vince was not going to be happy about this. He saw the camera guy looking extremely confused while the rest of the crew was freaking out.

"Excuse me?! I will not have you talk about me like-"

"You're excused, Vickie. Now get off our set." The Smackdown GM scoffed and ran off, feeling embarrassed. Even though they were backstage, they could still hear the crowd screaming and cheering from the arena. At least they enjoyed the little tirade that just happened. Patricia was very intimidating, but he'd be lying if he said he didn't like it. It was a completely different side that he had been shown. She had stood her ground and spoke up. He was very impressed. He only wished he could have done the same. Despite the WWE Universe enjoying their scene, he was worried about what Vince would say. The cameras clicked off, yet the crowd continued to roar. Brad placed his hands on her shoulders and made her look at him.

"Patricia, are you okay?" He was concerned. She had dealt with Vickie mocking her before, but never had she reacted like this.

"I-I'm fine... She just pushed me too far... I couldn't help it..." She put her head in her hands. "Oh, no! What have I done? No one was supposed to find out about me! Vince is going to... he's..."

Brad froze, not knowing what to do. Without thinking, he pulled her in and wrapped his arms around her. "Shhh, it's okay. He's not going to do anything. You'll be fine!" Patricia buried her face into his chest.

"It's not okay! I messed up big time. I ruined everything! I'm sorry..." His heart broke upon hearing those words. A minute ago she was fierce and unafraid, but now she was nearly sobbing in his arms. The truth was, he's worried for her as well. There's no telling what Vince would do now. Everyone was supposed to think that he was doing the job by being general manager. If the audience really knew that he was getting help, what would they think? That would make him look bad because he couldn't handle the job himself.

"I'll take care of Vince. I'll explain what happened and maybe this won't be so bad. Don't worry, I got this." He wasn't really sure if he could back all that up, but he couldn't resist saying it. Seeing her like this made him upset. "R-Really?" Patricia glanced up at him and gave him a weak smile. "Of course! You've been by my side through a lot now, it's only right if I stay by yours."

"Brad... Patricia... Vince would like to have a word with you guys in his office. Immediately." One of the crew guys interrupted their moment. The two exchanged worried glances and nervous smiles before parting. After what seemed like forever, they had finally managed to reach the door to Vince's office. Brad lightly nudged her arm with his. "I'm right here... you'll be okay..." She nodded and knocked on the door. Mr. McMahon's voice called out to them, telling them to enter. They shared one last look before opening the door and entering the room.

* * *

_A/N: And there it is, chapter three! Sorry for leaving it off on such a cliffhanger, I just couldn't resist... Please review and tell me how I did! I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far._


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Sorry, I left off with a cliffhanger last time, but all your questions should be answered within this chapter. I wrote most of this as a flashback, which continues from where chapter three left off. The italics is the flashback, in case you didn't know. Anyways, enjoy! Lots of surprises happen in this chapter!_

* * *

It's been a full week now and Brad still couldn't get over what had happened when they last saw each other. Patricia has never left his mind all this time. As hard as he tried to keep her out of his thoughts, it seemed nearly impossible to do so. He couldn't stop thinking about her long, beautiful brown hair. The way it flowed like silk down her back on the days when she didn't have it up in a ponytail. He loved the black framed glasses that set gently atop the bridge of her nose, which she'd adjust often. She was never seen without her clipboard that he had grown very fond of, because it had saved him numerous times before. Her skirts and occasional dress pants always went well with her blouses of every color. Every little detail was carved into his mind and he just couldn't shake them.

It hurt for him to think about Patricia like this. He should just forget whatever feelings he may or may not have and move on. There's nothing he can do about it now, it's far too late. Brad didn't even know if his feelings were true or not. He knew he found her attractive, but to say that he actually liked her that way was quite a stretch. Hell, the only reason why he was even thinking about her like this was because of what happened last week. When they were sent to Vince's office because she had revealed her identity to the entire WWE Universe. That was the moment when everything had started to go downhill for him.

**. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .**

_After what seemed like forever, they had finally managed to reach the door to Vince's office. Brad lightly nudged her arm with his. "I'm right here... you'll be okay..." She nodded and knocked on the door. Mr. McMahon's voice called out to them, telling them to enter. They shared one last look before opening the door and entering the room._

_Vince McMahon was sitting at his desk, hands clasped firmly in front of him, a squinted and stern look was directed at them. Brad had no clue whether that was a good sign or a bad one, but the stare was so hard it made him swallow nervously. He watched as Patricia came into view. She stepped forward, trying to appear confident and professional although her expression showed fear and sadness._

_"Please, take a seat." Vince said in his usual gravelly tone, gesturing for them to do so before resuming his earlier position. The General Manager gave him a slight nod and a sheepish smile as he complied. Patricia did the same._

_"I'm assuming you both know why I called you down here." Mr. McMahon stated and straightened his back, never dropping his cold gaze._

_"We do, sir." Patricia replied quietly. Her voice was shaky which showed her obvious discomfort. She shifted slightly, but managed to keep eye contact with the boss. Brad nodded again, his eyes dropping to look down at his lap._

_"Then you should already know what I'm going to say, correct?" Although his words were vague, the duo both knew what he was referring to. Patricia had slipped up and that would cost her big time. Maddox glanced over to her and saw that even though her head was held high, she was on the brink of tears. It tore him apart to see her like this. What normally was a shy and respectful girl was now on the verge of losing her job just because of one little mistake. She didn't deserve this. Brad knew he had to take a stand._

_"Sir, I know a mistake has been made, but I can assure you that it wasn't her fault." He stood up, regaining confidence as he returned the cold stare he had been receiving earlier. "Patricia is an amazing assistant and honestly, I don't even think that RAW would be doing so well if it wasn't for her. It was not her fault for acting out, Vickie was egging her on! She had to take a stand for herself." He looked down and met her eyes. Although she was nearly in tears, she gave him a weak smile. Brad looked back at Vince. "If she were to leave, we'd all be lost without her." He had made his plea and now the only thing left to do was wait for a response. Mr. McMahon's eyes had slightly widened as he gave the GM a strange look. Vince then focused on Patricia, who kept her head down in shame._

_"I think there's been a misunderstanding..." Mr. McMahon said slowly, eyeing the both of them weirdly. He motioned for Brad to sit down, but the general manager politely refused._

_"You are correct, sir. You are the one misunderstanding this situation." Maddox continued on. Vince had a confused look on his face. "If you are thinking of firing Patricia, then I think you should really reconsider. She's one of the best-"_

_"Whoa, whoa. Slow down there, Maddox." Brad reluctantly stopped. He figured Vince was going to tell him that his words were useless, that he had already made up his mind._

_"I never said anything about firing Patricia... I called you down here to tell you that I loved that segment you guys had! It was genius!" Brad and Patricia shared confused glances while their boss was all smiles._

_"Of course, my initial intention was to keep her as a secret. No one was supposed to know about you having an assistant, but after what happened, it got me thinking. This could be a great idea!" The two were left speechless by the surprise as they listened to Vince ramble on. "That segment... that is what entertainment is all about! Patricia, you were spontaneous... you were on fire! Vickie... she had no-" He paused to chuckle. "she had no idea what was going on!"_

_"Y-You're not mad, sir? I disobeyed you.. I let the secret out..." Patricia was relieved because it seemed like her job was still intact. Still, she was confused._

_"Not at all! I'll admit, at first I was very upset with you. You could have caused something disastrous to happen all because you couldn't control your temper." Her face flushed red. Brad kept looking back and forth between the two, not believing what he was hearing. "It all turned out fine in the end though. The crowd loved it! They loved you, Patricia."_

_"What do you mean?" Brad finally found his voice. Vince kept his eyes on her as he answered the question._

_"I meant exactly what I said. After the segment, the crowd was cheering and chanting. They loved the drama and what you said to Vickie." Mr. McMahon smiled down at Patricia. Maddox felt a little hurt that he was being ignored, but that was usual for him. Also, he couldn't help but be happy that he wasn't going to have to find a new assistant. He's grown very fond of her lately._

_"Really? They like me?" She asked, voicing her disbelief. Her tears had dried and a smile found it's way to her face. Vince stood up and threw his hands into the air._

_"They were in awe! You were even trending on Twitter not too long ago." Brad's jaw dropped as he ran his hand through his hair. "What?"_

_"It's true! Brad's Assistant was trending worldwide. Many of the tweets were filled with nothing but admiration for how you stood your ground and of course, some were a little confused... but the main part is that they enjoyed it. Which is why I want you to play a bigger part in all of this. I want to give you screen time and more segments so we can develop a storyline!"_

_Now it was Patricia's turn for her jaw to drop. This was completely unexpected. Maddox had no idea what to think about all of this. She had one little TV appearance and already she was a bigger star than him! He couldn't help but feel jealous. It looked like she would be Vince's new favorite now... not that he ever was to begin with._

_"Thank you, sir. Thank you so much. I promise I won't let you down." His assistant said as she stood up and eagerly shook Mr. McMahon's hand. Brad noticed the gleam and sparkle in her eyes as Patricia grinned. He smiled despite feeling left out. It was nice that she was going to get the recognition she deserved._

_"Oh, I know you won't. All you have to do is keep being yourself." Vince seemed ecstatic for once and Brad was upset that it wasn't towards him. He knew he shouldn't play the victim, but he felt wronged here. For weeks now he's been trying to prove himself of being worthy and then there goes his assistant, sweeping their boss right off his feet for doing something she wasn't supposed to do. It didn't seem right._

_A sharp knock on the door caused everyone to look up at once. Vince sighed and yelled, "I'm busy here!" There was shuffling heard outside. "It's almost time for your segment, sir!" said a voice that probably belonged to one of the crewmen. Mr. McMahon had a look of realization cross his face as he stood up quickly and brushed himself off. "I'll be right there!" He announced and footsteps could be heard scurrying off. Vince looked down to Patricia and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'll go over all the ideas I have planned out with you later. You're gonna do great, kid." He nodded at her before leaving the room, not even looking at Brad. Once it was just the two of them, Patricia jumped out of her seat with a huge grin._

_"Isn't this great, Brad? I get to keep my job and not only that, I'm going to be on TV! Everything went better than expected." She said and giggled, tossing her hair behind her shoulder. He could only muster up a half-smile to give her. Patricia's glow dimmed at this._

_"Aren't you happy for me?" She sounded worried now. Brad sighed, then tucked his hands in his pockets._

_"Of course I'm happy for you! I was so scared that you almost lost your job..." He trailed off. "Looks like Vince has really taken a liking to you."_

_"I think he was just excited about the new storyline... He wasn't interested in me..." Patricia replied, giving him a little shrug. Brad shook his head in response._

_"That's not true. He really does like you. Trust me. You're one of his favorites. He's proud of you." It hurt for him to say those words. It must be professional jealousy. Brad knew he was being stubborn for acting like this, but he couldn't ignore the nagging feeling that she had done better than him. In Vince's eyes, she was great and he had confidence in her. It was the exact opposite for him even though he had been trying really hard._

_"Brad, what's wrong? You sound upset... why?" Patricia was staring at him with squinted eyes and furrowed brows. Her arms were crossed in front of her chest._

_"Nothing's wrong. You deserve your... promotion... You didn't even have to try, yet you impressed him..." Maddox let his eyes fall from hers, focusing on the ground instead. He jumped slightly when he felt her hand on his shoulder. He gazed up slowly to look at her._

_"Are you mad at me? It's not like I planned for this to happen. I'm lucky that-"_

_"No, no. I'm not mad. I just... I wish I was in your position right now..."_

_"Wait, what?" Patricia let her arm fall to her side._

_"Well, Vince obviously favors you over me." He said with sigh._

_"That's... that's not true..." She blushed slightly and stared at his chest instead of his eyes. She looked lost in thought._

_"It is true. I'm not trying to take anything away from you. You're amazing." Patricia smiled softly at that. "It's just that I've been trying so hard to impress him so he can stop doubting me and apparently everything I do is just never good enough." Brad didn't want to pour his heart out to her like this. She didn't need to worry about him when she should be celebrating. He seemed selfish and he felt like it too. He caved in though. Only because she had been looking at him with wonder in her eyes, so soft and caring, he wanted to tell her anything and everything at that moment. Thankfully, he had some self control and managed to hold back after that._

_"I'm sorry for putting all this on you. It's not even your problem. I'm just sensitive, I guess." Maddox said quietly._

_"It is my problem, Brad. You're my co-worker. My friend. I have to be concerned about how you feel." Patricia replied, looking him in the eyes. She fixed her glasses and he smiled._

_"That doesn't mean I agree with you though. I'm sure Vince likes you, maybe he's just scared to admit it. Maybe he's trying to seem cool and act like he doesn't care. He should though because you are doing such a good job at being the general manager. It's not an easy job and you're doing great at it." Patricia said sweetly, blushing lightly from his stare. He still thought she looked cute when she did that._

_"Thanks... I'm sorry for being such a downer." Brad replied, instantly feeling better. There was still a part of him deep down that knew Vince didn't like him by any means. Despite that, her words really cheered him up. Maybe it was the way she said it or maybe it was the way her eyes sparkled as she did so. Either way, he was happy again._

_"It's fine, don't be sorry. Anytime you need to talk, I'm right here. You'll be okay." Patricia offered, squeezing his shoulder gently. Brad noticed that she had quoted him from earlier. Without thinking, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in._

_"Brad, what are you-"_

_"Thank you, Patricia..." He felt her relax into his touch as she draped her arms around his neck. After a moment, they both leaned back, but Brad still kept his arms on her. He liked this feeling of holding her. He also liked how her lips were parted and how that sparkle never left her eyes. She left him breathless. Suddenly, an overwhelming feeling began to wash over him. His eyes darted to her lips as his pulse began to race._

_"Uhh, Brad..." She said quietly, blushing much like before._

_"You're still so cute... and nice... and beautiful..." Maddox slowly tilted his head towards her own. Their foreheads touched gently as they stared into each other's eyes._

_"I think I'm falling for you..." Brad let the words slip out before he could think. Patricia looked surprised and confused, but she made no move to push him away. It only lasted for a second, but he let his lips touch hers. She was frozen to the spot until he broke it off._

_"Brad... I-I... we can't do this..." Patricia shook her head slowly and removed his arms from her. In an instant, he felt his heart drop to the floor. All that happiness from earlier had vanished and now he was left feeling like an empty shell. He messed up. He shouldn't have done that._

_"You're a great guy and you're so sweet. I-I like y... no, no. This can't happen. What about our careers? What would Vince think? We can't..." Patricia said, looking anywhere but at him. She started to back up towards the door._

_"Patricia..."_

_"I'm sorry, Brad." She said and left the room quickly._

**. . . . . . . . . . . . .**

That was a week ago today and he was still not over it. Usually they would talk and hang out during their off days to discuss plans for RAW, but she's been ignoring and avoiding him this whole time. Three weeks. It took him three weeks to screw everything up. Brad wasn't even sure what all happened. He just jumped the gun and got lost in the heat of the moment. Patricia made him feel happy and wanted and he must have confused that for her having feelings for him. Now he walked down the empty hallway alone. He didn't even bother to try and look for her. Brad figured she'd want nothing to do with him. That kiss though. Her eyes went they parted. He could've sworn he saw something there. Apparently, he was wrong. He couldn't blame her though. It would be unprofessional for them to be together. Not only that, but now she was Vince's favorite and... well... he wasn't.

Maybe this needed to happen so he could get his emotions in check. Although he was upset, this also angered him because he shouldn't feel so bad about this. Sure, he got rejected, but they had only known each other for less than a month. What did he expect? For her to fall in love with him? Brad should learn from this. To not rush ahead into anything. He'd get over it soon.

Maddox lifted his head up and tore his gaze away from the ground. Just as he rounded the corner, he caught sight of the one person who'd been on his mind constantly. Patricia had noticed him too. They stared at each other for a moment. No one saying anything. No one moving. It was like time had froze. Brad could feel an ache in his chest as he looked at her. She had her ponytail done up, her glasses had slipped halfway down her nose, and she had her clipboard in hand. She looked as beautiful as ever. It was then that Brad realized everything he had said earlier had been a lie. He did care for her. He cared a whole damn lot... and he wasn't going to get over her anytime soon.

* * *

_A/N: aaand that wraps up the fourth chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it! I also hope that you guys aren't too mad with me for what I did. I kind of played with your emotions a bit. Sorry! Haha. As always, reviews and favorites are welcomed! If you haven't followed yet, do that so you can keep up with the updates! _


	5. Chapter 5

He was frozen to the spot. His mouth refused to cooperate with him and form words. The quick thrumming of his heart continued to beat to it's own rhythm. His breath hitched and his hand went up to rustle the brown, messy locks on his head nervously. Their eyes were locked and no one was doing or saying anything. She stood there in all her glory, with her black-framed glasses balanced on the tip of her nose and her brunette locks flowing down past her shoulders. A black skirt hung at her hips while a white blouse covered her torso. Black heels, a silver necklace, and a watch on her wrist completed her simple yet, stunning look.

"Patricia…" Brad breathed out, not loud enough for her to hear, but it was obvious to make out. As she continued to stare at him, he could see the familiar pink tint find it's way to her cheeks. Her mouth was parted as if she wanted to say something, but nothing was coming out. The memories from last week came flooding back. Everything from the end of the segment where he had comforted her to the brief kiss they had shared in Vince's office. He had been so set on forgetting all of that stuff because that would be the best option. Patricia clearly wanted nothing to do with him after he had rushed into things. The way she had left the room that day said it all. Only a few minutes before he was telling himself to drop the situation and move on with his life. Now here he was, wanting to go back on everything he had just said to himself.

He felt his heart drop to his stomach when she slowly started to shake her head. Patricia was backing up now, much like she had done after he had kissed her. Brad knew he couldn't let her walk away again. Not this time. Slowly, he started to make his way down the crowded hall towards her. She noticed this and avoided his gaze. After saying a quick goodbye to the person she had been talking to, Patricia turned on her heels and disappeared among the flock of superstars and divas. Maddox now picked up the pace as he tried to catch up with her. Unfortunately, she was out of his sight now and he had no idea where she had went.

"Hey, did you see where Patricia went?" The general manager asked the person who she was last seen with.

"Yeah, she went around that way… Everything okay, man?" Dolph Ziggler replied as he gave him a strange look. Brad gave him a smile and a tap on the shoulder before responding.

"Everything is fine. Thanks." He soon began to head off in the direction that the Show Off was pointing to. Within moments, he found himself rounding a corner into a deserted and empty hallway. Luckily for him, Brad managed to catch sight of her. Patricia had noticed him as well, which caused her to run into a nearby room. Right before he could follow in after her, the door was slammed in his face.

"Patricia… let me in, please." He sighed and rested his head against the cool, wooden door. Receiving no reply, he continued.

"You can't avoid me forever, you know. You're my assistant. I can't do my job without you." Brad said quietly. He felt terrible knowing he had scared her so much that she had to avoid him. After a minute or so of silence, she spoke up.

"Exactly. I'm your assistant… _only_ your assistant." Patricia replied, just as quiet as him. Maddox knew exactly what she meant by that. She was trying to put a professional barrier between them. He couldn't blame her. He was letting his personal emotions and feelings get in the way of doing their job. Still, he couldn't help but have hope that maybe she was just saying that. That maybe there was a chance for them, however slight it might be.

"I-I know…" Brad hated how his voice cracked. "I know that now. I'm sorry about what happened last week… about how I acted…" He swallowed nervously before whispering, "I just couldn't help myself." He knew she probably couldn't have heard it, but he just had to put it out there.

"You crossed the line, Brad." His name sounded so sweet coming from her lips.

"I'm sorry…" Maddox repeated. Guilt rose within him, making him feel even worse about the situation. His head dropped in shame as he stared down at his black dress shoes.

"You're a great guy," He perked up at hearing that. "-but we can't do this. For the sake of our careers and our friendship, we just can't go there." Patricia stated, making her feelings quite obvious. Although he agreed with what she said, he didn't want to.

"I understand. Our relationship is strictly business, nothing more." It hurt him to say that, but he had to tell her what she wanted to hear.

Seconds ticked on when suddenly he began to fall forward as the door was being opened. Brad caught himself and was soon staring into Patricia's eyes. She peered up at him shyly, giving him a small smile to which he returned. They stood there like that for a while, just looking at each other. After realizing that he was blocking her way out, Brad stepped aside to give her room.

"We should get to work." She said softly. He nodded in response.

"Yeah, of course. What do we have to do first?" Maddox asked, regaining his professional behavior. He straightened his back and smoothed over his hair as he watched her look over the schedule on the clipboard.

"Well, I have to tell the superstars about their segments for later so they can prepare-"

"Perfect, I'll come with you!"

"Brad…" Patricia said in a warning tone.

"What? I just want to help. It's not fair that you have to do all of that alone. I am the General Manager after all. I have to do something around here." Brad replied with a sheepish grin and a nervous chuckle. She continued to eye him before reluctantly giving in.

"Fine… Let's get going then." Patricia turned away from him and started to make her way down the hall. He stood there for a moment, just watching her with a longing gaze. It's crazy how fast he fell for her. He was so willing to give in and let his feelings get the best of him. Never before had it been this easy to attract his attention like this.

For a long while now, he's been on his own. Brad was okay with it at first. He didn't mind coming home to an empty house with no one there expecting him or spending his nights alone in the numerous hotel rooms; even having to watch as the superstars and divas around him began to find love didn't bother him. He was so used to being alone at this point, but since he's met Patricia everything changed. Something inside him clicked and it made him realize just how lonely he really was and that maybe she could be the one to fix that.

"You coming, Brad?" The sound of her voice made him snap out of his thoughts. Patrica had stopped walking and was now waiting for him. He gave her a smile which she returned.

"Yeah, I am. Sorry, just got a little lost in thought for a minute." Brad explained as he approached her.

"What were you thinking about?" Patricia asked as she stared at him innocently and tucked her hair behind her ear. He wanted so badly to tell her the truth, but he knew he couldn't. She made it clear that there was nothing between them and that she didn't want there to be.

"Just… business stuff…" Maddox pushed his feelings aside and shrugged.

"Oh… well come on. We've got a lot of work to do." She replied and waved him along.

_You have no idea…_ He thought as he followed beside her.

**. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .**

A few hours later, the duo found themselves standing outside of the men's locker room. They were nearly done giving out all the information about tonight to all the wrestlers. Usually, this would be Patricia's job, but Brad wanted to tag along. For some reason he just didn't want to leave her side. This also gave him a first-hand look at how great she was at doing her job. The schedule she always carried around came in handy more often than he thought.

"Christian, you will be having a segment with Randy tonight." Patricia informed the superstar. The Canadian gave her a warm smile, while Brad stayed silent and observed the two.

"Awesome! I have a match against Alberto Del Rio too, right?" He asked excitedly. Even after all the years he's been with the company, it was still obvious that he loved what he did. Patricia nodded and told him he'd also have a match next week as well.

"That's great! Thanks for all the opportunities, guys. I really appreciate it." The Charismatic Captain replied.

"It's nothing, really. You deserve it, Christian. The WWE Universe loves you and we aim to please the fans." She grinned up at him. He chuckled and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Trust me, you're doing a great job around here. I'm sure Mr. McMahon is very proud of you. Right, Maddox?" Brad was surprised when the superstar spoke to him.

"Uhh, yeah. Definitely." He agreed. It was a terrible reply, but he was caught off guard. This whole time he has been ignored so he wasn't prepared for that. He knew it was true though. Vince would be very proud of her after seeing all that she's done so far. There was no doubt about it.

"Alright, I gotta go get ready for my match now. Keep up the good work, Patricia." Christian said and gave her a playful wink before heading off into the locker room. Brad noticed the blush on her cheeks which made him kind of angry. He wasn't jealous though… not at all.

"I-I think we're done here." Patricia stuttered out quietly. Okay, maybe he was a little jealous. He gave her an odd look to hide it though. She started to walk off, leaving him behind. With a shake of his head, Brad quickly caught up with her.

"So are we done now?" He asked, hoping that they'd have some time to rest.

"Yeah, I think that was-" She started to answer before she was interrupted by her cell phone going off. She checked it and gasped in shock. "Our segment with Vickie starts soon!" Patricia exclaimed. Brad gave her a confused look.

"We have a segment tonight?" He never heard about that.

"Yes! Didn't Mr. McMahon tell you?" Patricia eyed him weirdly. Brad fell silent at that. He should've figured that Vince would keep him out of the loop.

"Well, it doesn't matter now. Maybe he just forgot." Somehow he was doubtful of that. She noticed his silence and decided not to dwell on the topic. "Come on, let's go!" Patricia grabbed him by his wrist and started dragging him off to the set.

**. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .**

Some time passed and they were now waiting by the same set they had appeared on two weeks ago. Like always, Brad tried to keep calm and brush the nervousness off before they had to go on screen. Usually, Patricia would comfort him but now she was just as scared as he was because she was scheduled to be in the scene this time. They exchanged hushed whispers of comforting words before they were interrupted by the sound of heels clicking towards them.

Vickie let out an exasperated sigh as she approached them. "Well, isn't it a surprise to see you here?" She said really snobby-like to Patricia.

"Not really. I'm included in this segment… didn't Vince tell you that?" Brad could tell she was trying to control her temper as she replied.

"Of course he did. I was talking about you still having a job here. You crashed onto the set last time and ruined our segment. You should be gone by now." Vickie crossed her arms.

Patricia huffed and waved her off. "Whatever, Vickie. I'm not going to let your hurtful words get to me this time. I'll be the mature one here." He knew shots were fired now. Chewing his lip nervously, Brad watched the scene unfold.

"You? Mature?" Vickie threw her head back and laughed loudly. "You're the one who can't control your temper. A business as tough as this one is no place for a naive little girl like you."

"Okay, okay. Ladies, I think we should save it for the segment, alright?" Brad stepped between them and tried to be the voice of reason.

"Is everyone in position?" One of the crew guys announced as he glanced around at the workers. Brad and Vickie stood in front of the RAW logo. She glared at him while he gave Patricia an uneasy grin and a thumbs up.

"We go on air in five… four… three.. two…" The cameraman pointed at them and signaled for them to start.

"Vickie! It's so nice to see you here." Brad greeted her with a fake grin. Sarcasm was very evident in his voice.

"Oh, save it. I'm not in the mood for your hospitality." She snapped back, giving him a disgusted look.

"Uhh, okay… what is it that you want then?" He asked curiously.

"I want to talk about that crummy assistant of yours." Vickie crossed her arms and stared him down. Brad began to feel uneasy.

"Hey, don't talk about her like that. You need to show her some respect." His voice was as stern as his stare. Although she was supposed to talk down about Patricia, he knew deep down that Vickie meant what she was saying. It was starting to make him angry.

"Respect? For a lousy assistant?" Vickie cackled. "Why should I respect her when she's the one who interrupted me last week? Her place is to remain in the back, away from the rest of us who actually have a _real_ job to do. I'm just surprised she wasn't fired for what she did!" It was obvious that she wasn't going to just let that go.

Brad rubbed a hand over his stubble in frustration. "Speaking of real jobs, why aren't you doing yours, huh? You're always over here pestering us. Honestly, I think she probably does more work than you do. Hm, an assistant doing more than a general manager… isn't that strange?" He was letting his temper get the best of him now, but it couldn't be helped. She was just asking for it now.

Vickie glared at him in response. If looks could kill, he'd be dead ten times over. "So what you're saying is that she does a lot of work around here, right?" He had no idea what she was getting at so he nodded.

"If she does more work than a general manager then who's to say she's not working even harder than you, Brad?" He opened his mouth to reply, but she cut him off. "I knew there had to be a reason why RAW was doing so well with you in charge. It's because she's really the mastermind behind everything, isn't she? Do you even call any of the shots around here?" Vickie had backed him into a corner with her accusation. Brad knew this wasn't a good place to be in right now. The way she put it really did make it sound like he wasn't capable of handling his own job. He was at a loss for words on how to respond. She smirked at this.

"Aren't you gonna tell me that I'm wrong? Oh, that's right, you can't. I should've guessed it. Sticking a guy like you in charge would've run the company into the ground. Vince never really wanted you to be the GM, Brad. He did it to get back at the horrible fans that threw me out of the position. He knew you weren't fit to run the show, so he gave you an assistant. I guess it's for the best though. Even back when you were my assistant, you didn't amount to much. I just let you tag along because I felt bad for you."

Every word hit him hard and cut him deep. Brad couldn't even look her in the eyes now. It was all true. Vince stuck him with the job because he knew that the fans wouldn't want that. He had no confidence in him so he sent Patricia to help him out. She did do most of the work though. She always showed up to work with that schedule. All he ever does is look over it. He doesn't have to change much because usually everything is spot on. Maybe he really is unfit to run the show. Maybe Vickie is right.

"Excuse me? What did you just say to him?" Patricia's voice caused him to drop the unsettling thoughts and focus on the present. Vickie was now glaring at his assistant who was standing at his side.

"You heard me. He's nothing. Honestly, I don't see why Mr. McMahon just doesn't fire him already and give the job to you. Of course… you probably wouldn't be able to handle it either. It's obvious that I'm the only one here who cou-"

"Stop! Just stop!" Patricia made it clear that she has had enough. Vickie looked startled by her outburst.

"You have no idea what you're talking about, so just stop it. Brad is a very hard worker and he does his best to please the fans and keep the company in good shape. You have no right to say those things about him… or me, for that matter." Patricia lowered her voice now, but she gave no sign of backing down. Brad knew she was supposed to stick up for him. She was just playing her part. Still, he wondered if maybe that's how she actually felt about him. When Patricia caught him staring, she met his eyes and gave him a reassuring smile. He felt his heart catch in his chest at the sweet sight. The sound of Vickie clearing her throat caused them to break the stare.

"Yes, it's true. I do a lot of the work around here, but I can honestly say that none of it would matter if Brad wasn't in charge. He takes the ideas that we come up with and he puts them into action. If I have a suggestion, he listens and decides whether it should happen or not. I'm only here to guide him and help him out. As for you saying that he's nothing, you couldn't be more wrong. Not only is he a great general manager, but he's a great friend as well. I don't understand how you can say he never did anything for you because he did. He stuck by your side and now I'm the one sticking by his."

Brad grinned as his face began to heat up. No one's ever stood up for him like that before. There was a possibility that she was just saying that for the sake of the segment, but something told him that she really meant it all. This right here. This is exactly what's keeping him hanging on to the thought of her being his. Patricia cared for him, that much was obvious. He just needed to know how far those feelings went. Are they simply platonic or is there something more? She told him that they couldn't be together because of the company, but she never denied liking him. Maybe there was something there… he'd just have to find it.

"Honestly, I think you're just jealous, Vickie." Patricia added. Vickie huffed and gave her a confused look. "Not only are you jealous that he's the general manager now, but you're also jealous because you don't have anyone to stick by you like he does. That's why you're so angry with me, right?" She asked softly, now calm after letting it all out.

"That's… that's not true. I'm perfectly fine by myself. I don't need anyone holding me back. You're going to be the one who's jealous once he decides to kick you to the curb. You're going to regret all of this." Vickie retorted, still keeping her head held high as she left the set.

Brad and Patricia turned to face each other with smiles on their faces.

"Alright, good job people! We're done here!" One of the crew guys announced. Everyone that was watching the scene was now scurrying around, trying to get ready for the next segment. Brad led her over to a quieter area so they could relax. What they didn't know was that the crowd was screaming and cheering for the little show they had just put on. Once they found themselves in an empty hallway, he decided that now was the time to get some answers.

"Patricia… I know you were just playing your role back there for the camera, but… thanks for sticking up for me." His hands were tucked in his pockets as he kept his eyes on his shoes. Now it was his turn to be the shy one.

"I really meant all of those things I said, Brad. That wasn't just for the segment…" Patricia replied quietly. He glanced up in surprise.

"So, you… you care about me?" Maddox had to ask. He needed to know the truth about how she felt.

"Of course I do. You're a great friend. I'm not going to let anyone talk down about you. You would've done the same for me." She was kind as usual. His smile dimmed once he heard her call him "friend". That wasn't exactly what he was hoping to hear.

"Yeah, I would've." Brad nodded in agreement to the last part. Suddenly, a burst of courage tore through him. "I could be more than just a great friend though…" He whispered, but she was close enough to hear him. He watched as Patricia sighed and shook her head.

"I told you we can't do that-"

"-but you never said that you didn't want to." He caught her off guard with the statement. Her eyes went wide as she swallowed nervously.

"I really like you, Patricia. I'd try so hard to make this work for us. I think we could do it." Brad slowly lifted his hand up and let it rest against her cheek. His thumb gently rubbed the smooth skin as he gave her a smile. He noticed her breath hitch as she peered up at him.

"Please, just give me a chance… that's all I ask…" She made no move to respond so he decided this would be his chance to go for it. Little by little, he inched his face closer to hers. She didn't try to stop him. Just as he was about to close the distance, her phone went off. His head dropped as he sighed. Patricia gently pushed him away so she could answer the call. Once she hung up, he met her eyes again.

"Vince… he wants to talk to us…" Brad gave her a sad look and she mirrored it. The moment was perfect. He almost had her. Now it was all over.

They walked to Vince's office in silence, no one felt like saying a word. Both of their minds were reflecting on what had just happened. It didn't take them long to reach Mr. McMahon's office and once they did, they were ushered inside immediately.

"I have some exciting news for you guys!" Vince said eagerly, giving them both a huge grin. Patricia returned it, but Brad just couldn't. He was upset and a little ticked off at him for interrupting their moment.

"And what would that be, sir?" She asked curiously.

"The segment went very well, just like last time. The crowd adored the way you stood up for Maddox and you even managed to trend on Twitter again!" Mr. McMahon replied and chuckled. Patricia was about to respond, but he continued. "Not only that, but I came up with the perfect plan to get the ball rolling with your storyline!"

"Well that's great, sir. Um, what is it?" She gave him a worried look. She had no idea what she was in for. Brad took a seat and continued to stay quiet during this time because he knew his input was not needed. It was obvious that Vince just wanted to speak to Patricia anyway. It made him wonder why he was even called down here in the first place.

"I've decided to put you in a relationship!" He announced excitedly. Brad jumped up from his seat in surprise. So that's why Vince brought them both down here! This could be his chance to win her over.

"O-Oh… that's not really what I was expecting…" Patricia looked over to him and noticed his reaction. Brad gave her a smile, but she ignored it and turned back to Vince.

"I know it might not sound great at first, but trust me, you're going to like this. Relationships bring tension and drama, the stuff that the WWE Universe loves to watch. Not to mention that they'll be able to see a different side of you through this." She nodded slowly at his explanation.

"Don't worry though. I'm going to give you a few weeks to prepare for this. That way you guys can get to know each other and to find some chemistry." Mr. McMahon assured her.

"Just to be clear… who exactly are you pairing me up with, sir?" Brad shook his head at her question. Obviously, Vince was talking about him! Why else would he be down here?

"Ah, yes. I was waiting for you ask that, actually." He said to her before gesturing towards the door. "Come on in!" He shouted. Brad felt his heart stop instantly. What was going on here? Wasn't Vince talking about him? Patricia shot him a worried look before she turned to stare at the door. He followed her gaze and was shocked to see who entered the room.

* * *

_A/N: DUN.. DUN.. DUN... Sorry to leave you all off on another cliffhanger. I'm evil, I know. In the next chapter you'll find out who the mystery man is and how Brad and Patricia will react. Review and let me know what you thought of the chapter. Feel free to take a guess at who Patricia's love interest might be... :)_


	6. Chapter 6

An uneasy silence filled the room as the tension began to rise. No one talked, yet by their expressions, everyone's feelings about the current situation was obvious. Vince McMahon was smiling triumphantly, like he was some sort of a genius. Patricia's eyes were wide with surprise as she glanced between the three men in the room, not sure if she could believe what was happening at the moment. He was in disbelief himself. His jaw was to the floor and his face was flushed red with a mixture of anger and embarrassment. This was definitely not expected. Brad was so sure that he was going to be the one to play Patricia's love interest, which would have worked extremely well in his favor, but clearly he had been wrong. Very, very wrong.

He couldn't help but glare daggers at the man who had just entered the room. Of course, Brad knew that it wasn't the guy's fault. Still, his one shot at finally getting to Patricia has just been snatched away from him before he even had a chance to take it. He was heartbroken and frustrated, but seeing the confused look on his assistant's face gave him a sliver of hope that maybe, just maybe, this would all work out the way he wanted it too.

"Patricia, this is-" Vince started to introduce the two, but was cut off by the superstar.

"We already know each other." The man replied with a sharp grin and a wink towards Patricia. Her cheeks began to turn pink as she avoided his gaze. This only made Brad even more envious. Her blush was one of his favorite things about her. It hurt so much to see someone else causing her to do it. Although he wanted nothing more than to turn away and dart out of the room, he couldn't avert his eyes from the two.

"Oh, you do? Excellent! I have a good feeling about you two." Mr. McMahon said with a smile as he observed them. Brad only rolled his eyes at this. He saw Patricia glance over to him. Worry was very evident in her eyes. Looks like he wasn't the only one upset by Vince's decision. He mustered up a reassuring stare and shrugged. There wasn't much he could do for her at this point. If he could, he'd turn the whole thing around and explain to Vince why they would be better together, but he knew that his boss wouldn't want to hear it. He also knew that Patricia was too shy and obedient to express her discomfort with the situation. Everything about this was killing him.

"Y-You… want me to be with… Dolph?" She finally found her voice and broke through the brief silence. Patricia was now focused on Mr. McMahon who continued to be cheery despite her obvious shock.

Vince sighed and sat back down in his chair. "Well, yes. He would work really well in the relationship storyline that I'm trying to develop for you. I have a lot of good ideas planned out that I'm sure you'll love once you hear them!" There was a slight gleam in his eye as he turned his gaze from Patricia to Dolph. Clearly, there would be no reasoning with him. Even Brad could see that. The guy was too wrapped up in the romantic plotline that he failed to notice how everyone else felt about it.

Brad eyed Dolph Ziggler as he strutted into the room before taking a seat next to Patricia. The superstar shook his head before placing his hand onto her shoulder. Patricia slowly turned to look at him, arching her brow in confusion as she did so.

"Listen, this whole thing is just for show and it will end up giving you screen time and a reputation. I promise this won't be as bad as you think it will." He said quietly and casually rubbed her shoulder. Brad crossed his arms and clenched his jaw. It was obvious that Dolph was being a little more than just friendly with her and that ticked him off. He knew Patricia wasn't his by any means, but seeing someone else with her just didn't sit right with him.

"You're right… I'm just a little nervous… I guess." She replied, drawing her eyes away from his hand to his face. This caused a strand of hair to shift out of place. Brad wanted to tuck it away behind her ear for her so bad. He managed to keep his feet rooted to the ground as he watched Dolph do just that. The blush on Patricia's face darkened as she softly bit her lip.

"There's no need to be nervous. I'm a good guy, alright? I'll take care of you…" He paused and smiled moving his hand to rest on her back. It hurt Maddox to see that she made no move to stop him. Instead, she simply flashed him a grin and tilted her head to the side.

Vince awkwardly cleared his throat to gain everyone's attention. However, Brad couldn't bring himself to look at his boss. He didn't want to look at anyone right now. He just wanted to get out of there.

"Well, it looks like you guys are going to get along great! I've already got a few ideas that I'd like to go discuss with you." He announced and clasped his hands together. Fortunately for Brad, Dolph removed his hand from Patricia and turned to face Vince. He caught Patricia's eyes just as she was about to shift towards their boss. Her smile faltered as she stared at him.

"Ah, right. I almost forgot you were here, Maddox." Mr. McMahon chuckled. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave though because we are about to have a private discussion. Besides, this has nothing to do with you." He stated and Brad knew that was his cue to leave. With a sigh of defeat, he slowly made his way to the door. He felt Patricia's eyes follow him as he moved. With one final glance behind him, he nodded as a way of saying goodbye. Vince was now shuffling through stacks of paper on his desk, taking no notice. Dolph was also distracted because he was now staring at Patricia. She was the only one who watched as he turned the knob and left.

Brad wandered aimlessly down the crowded hallways. He kept his hands in the pockets of his dress pants and his eyes focused on his shoes. Occasionally, he'd bump into a wrestler or production worker and have to apologize for it. Of course, he was so deep in thought that he didn't much care to pay attention to his surroundings. His mind swarmed with images of his assistant and the bleach-blond superstar. Different scenarios of the two clouded his mind and made his stomach feel uneasy. He thought about what they might've done while he left. Maybe Dolph brushed her hair back again, or maybe he continued to make her blush and giggle. This tore him up inside. Just when he had gained the courage to step up and try to win her heart, he had to gain competition. Unfortunately, he cannot even begin to go against Dolph Ziggler. He had no chance compared to him. At first, Patricia seemed like she was uninterested in the wrestler, but after seeing them together, he realized that maybe she really does feel something for him.

Brad knew what he had to do now. Either he could forget about the whole thing and just let her go, or he could stand up and fight for her love. It was a matter of giving up or stepping up. The obvious choice would be to just back down, but he never really liked to take the easy way out. It's been that way since he was little and he still remains the same. It seemed futile to try and win her heart with Dolph apparently trying to do the same thing. Ziggler was better than him in every way and he knew it. There was no doubt that Dolph knew it too. The only real question here was that did Patricia know that? Is it possible that she could have feelings for Brad instead? It was very unlikely.

The General Manager rounded the busy hallway and turned into an empty one. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. Could he really go through with this? Could he just push his feelings aside and move on with his life? That would be the best option. Not only would that be good for his career, but Patricia had already told him how she felt. Still, there was something that had him hanging on. Maybe it's the way that she blushes whenever their eyes meet, or maybe it's the way that her lips lingered on his for a brief moment during the kiss they shared, or maybe he was just head over heels for the woman. Whatever it was, he knew he just couldn't give up.

Suddenly, Brad came to the conclusion on what he had to do. He couldn't go back on everything now. He was already in too deep. There was no way he was going to give up on her. Not even if he had to fight for her to give him a chance. He'll do whatever it takes. She's not going to slip away from him.

He paused instantly in the middle of the hallway. Brad drew a shaky breath before turning on his heels and spinning around. He had to go find her right now, before she had the chance to fall for Dolph. Glancing up, he was surprised by what he saw. A gasp left his lips and he felt his world around him begin to crumble. Heading towards him was none other than Patricia herself… with Dolph Ziggler right by her side. They were both smiling and chatting and laughing. The sight made him feel sick to his stomach. Patricia had noticed him now and grinned at him. Brad could only nod in return. It took them a minute to catch up to him.

"Hey, Brad!" She greeted, obviously happy to see him. Normally, this would have made his heart race, but he just couldn't take his eyes off Dolph, who was now staring at him. Brad glared right back at the man. He wasn't in the mood to fake politeness. The superstar noticed this and smirked. That only angered Brad even more.

"Are… are you okay?" Patricia's voice rang through his ears and broke his stare. He shifted to face her and managed to crack a smile. She was worried about him. He couldn't believe it.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Maddox hated how his voice sounded so quiet and weak. Swallowing nervously, he continued to look into her eyes. She was eyeing him now, proving that she knew something was wrong.

"Well, um, Dolph and I were just about to head to catering to get something to eat… Would you like to join us?" She asked sweetly. Of course he wouldn't mind hanging out with her, but having Dolph around would be like a constant black cloud raining over him. He was about to kindly turn her down, but something stopped him. His eyes had flashed over to Dolph's for a quick second and in that time he noticed how the wrestler's eye twitched at the question. This got Brad thinking. Clearly the blond did not want him around, which meant that now he just _had_ to tag along. Not only to piss off the superstar but also to keep him away from Patricia. What a perfect opportunity for him to step up his game.

"You know what? I am feeling pretty hungry." He chuckled and watched how Ziggler's smirk seemed to vanish. "I'd _love_ to join you… both." Brad loved how Patricia's smile brightened at his answer.

"You don't mind if he comes with, do you, Dolph?" She looked over to the other man. He tore his eyes away from Brad to reply.

"Of course not. Whatever makes you happy." Brad inwardly cursed as he heard the smooth reply. This was going to be way tougher than he thought.

"Alright, then. Let's get going." Patricia said excitedly before making her way down the hall. She was completely oblivious to the tension between the two men. Dolph and Brad quickly followed after her, standing at her side keeping her in the middle. When she wasn't looking, the guys would share furious glances with each other, but looked sweet and kind whenever she did turn around.

After some time, they arrived at the catering room which was filled with various superstars, divas, and production workers. No one took notice of the three as they made their way over to the tables to get their food. Patricia had grabbed a plate for herself and was about to make a salad, when suddenly someone took it from her.

"Here, let me…" Dolph offered as he started putting lettuce on her plate. Brad clenched his jaw and shook his head. Patricia simply smiled and allowed him to continue piling things on for her. Once they finished getting their food, Patricia went to grab them bottles of water. After a moment, she was out of sight which allowed both men to glare at each other freely. They stopped when they saw her coming back. Dolph started to walk forward to meet her, but tripped and spilled the food. Some of it landed on his shirt, which would no doubt leave a stain.

"Oh no!" Patricia exclaimed while Brad tried not to grin. There was a chance that maybe he accidentally placed his foot directly in front of Dolph before he had tripped. Luckily, Ziggler didn't mention it and instead bent down to pick up the fallen salad. Brad's eyes went wide once he saw Patricia start to help him. This was not supposed to happen!

"I'm sorry I'm so clumsy, Patricia." Dolph said with a sigh, giving her a sad look. Brad wanted to knock the man out right then and there, but he had enough sense to know that it would definitely not end well for him if he tried. Instead, he just shifted awkwardly and watched them.

"It's totally fine. I'll just get another one." She wasn't bothered by it at all.

"I'll get it for you, Patricia. Don't worry about it." Maddox was smart enough to realize that this was a golden opportunity for him. She smiled up at him as she continued to pick up the lettuce off the ground.

"Well, thank you, Brad. Wow, you guys are both so sweet." They both grinned, but inside they were raging with anger. The General Manager walked over to the table, even though he didn't at all want to leave them alone with each other, and got more salad. While he was over there, he overheard Patricia telling Dolph that he should go change his shirt. Brad laughed quietly when the blond started protesting, but reluctantly left anyway. This was going to be a whole lot easier without Dolph around.

His heart began to pound rapidly as she approached his side. His eyes moved from the plate to her eyes as he gave her a genuine smile. Patricia tilted her head at him for a moment, as if she was studying him, before returning the grin. She carefully took the plate from his hands and handed him two bottles of water. Soon enough, they were seated. Patricia ate her salad quietly occasionally taking sips from her water, while he just continued to stare at her. Even though the room was loud and filled with chatter, he somehow managed to block that all out so he could just focus on her.

"So, how did the meeting with Vince go?" Brad couldn't hold back the question any longer. He had to know what was going on. His assistant paused from eating and set her fork down. It took her a minute to answer.

"It went well. He wants Dolph and I to get to know each other better and then he's going to put us on screen." She said casually and went back to eating. He could tell that there was more she wanted to say though. It was practically written on her face.

"And how do you feel about that?" That was another question that had been plaguing his mind ever since he left Mr. McMahon's office earlier that day. He watched as Patricia chewed her lip in thought.

"I feel fine. Dolph's a nice guy and I'll be given screen time and a chance to build my reputation." She shrugged and continued to nibble on her food. Brad sighed. He knew that she just rephrased what Dolph and Vince had said earlier.

"Patricia, I'm serious." He needed to know how she _really_ felt.

"Brad…" God, he loved it when she spoke his name, no matter how she said it.

"I-I guess at first I was surprised… I mean, I thought Mr. McMahon was going to put you and I together instead..." She laughed quietly. He could hear the nervousness behind it. Brad nodded, signaling for her to continue.

"Now, I'm kind of thinking that maybe it won't be so bad after all." She admitted and sighed afterwards, like she had been holding that in for a while now. This only confirmed his fears. She was starting to like Dolph. Whether that meant as a friend or as something more, it was still something for him to be worried about. This is exactly what he didn't want to happen. He tried not to look upset by her answer, but he couldn't help it.

"I know I'm your assistant and I'm here to help you with RAW, but being able to actually be a real part of the show just sounds so incredible to me…" Patricia's voice began to get softer as she went back to her shy state.

"I'm happy for you. I really am." Brad had no idea why he said that. It was true, in a way, but he was also upset because now he had to share her with the rest of the world. It sounded so selfish, but that's how he saw it.

"You are?" She eyed him strangely. He laughed at this.

"Yeah, I am. You deserve to be in the spotlight and besides, the fans love you!" Brad could tell that him saying this made her really happy by the way her face seemed to glow.

"Thank you…" The familiar blush was brought back to her cheeks. The urge to kiss her was starting to overwhelm him, but he knew he had to hold back. He was going to have to take things nice and slow if he wanted to win her over. He already jumped the gun once and that didn't work out too well for him. He knows better now. Brad broke off the stare, focusing on the table instead.

They both sat there quietly while she finished her meal. Once done, the duo stood up and started to make their way towards the exit. Everything seemed to be going well. They talked about the upcoming RAW and how their weekends went. It was friendly and relaxing. There was no tension or awkwardness between them. It all just felt right.

Unfortunately, they were soon interrupted by Dolph making his return. His old tee shirt was traded in for a tight, muscle shirt. It was obvious that he was trying to impress Patricia. Of course, this only spiked more rage within Brad, but he fought to stay calm.

"Patricia, I ran into Vince while I was coming down here. He said he wants us to go out somewhere so we can get to know each other better." Ziggler's eyes darted between the two. "...Alone…" He specified, while trying to avoid Brad's gaze. Patricia nodded in response and turned to face Maddox.

"I'll see you later then, Brad." She said, giving him a sad smile. He shrugged it off and plastered on a fake grin.

"Alright. See ya. Try not to have too much fun without me." He laughed lightly, which caused her to giggle. She was so cute when she did that. Their eyes met for a brief second before Patricia glanced over to Dolph, who was looking extremely uncomfortable at the moment.

"You ready?" He asked her, not bothering to hide his eagerness to leave.

"Yeah, let's go. Bye, Brad." And with that, the two were gone. He stayed there for a few minutes, just watching them walk away. As much as it hurt, he knew he would soon get his chance to impress her. It was just going to take some time, that's all. His thoughts were now filled with numerous plans on how to make her swoon. He was going to go all out for this.

It didn't matter if the odds were against him and it didn't matter if their boss didn't want them together.

He was ready to do anything that it takes to win her over.

Absolutely anything.


End file.
